Women who've shattered 365 days x 4 years' worth of glass ceilings

Jun 20 Jean Stothert

“It was not an issue in the campaign, and it was not something I thought about. But yes, there’s no question I’m proud to be the first female mayor of Omaha. Some of my biggest influences are those strong, pioneering women who broke new ground. I love Margaret Thatcher. I would love if someone called me The Iron Lady.”

Her preparation for the toughness required in her current position first began in her years as a nurse in the ICU. “You see it all. I’ve done CPR on hundreds of patients. I’ve opened people’s chests and done internal heart massage. I’ve wrapped up bodies and taken them to the morgue over and over again. That’s just how it is. I like the challenge of making a critically ill patient well. But sometimes, I’m not going to make that patient well. They’re going to die. The thing is, I never want to get that hard edge. You can do tough work without losing your humanity and compassion doing it.”